In this novel of 1935 two children, strangers, wait in a well appointed house in Paris: Leopold for his mother, whom he has never seen, and Henrietta for a train. Upstairs an old woman lies dying and her daughter flutters round her. Little does Henrietta know what fascinations this Fisher house contains. There are secrets that have the potential to topple a marriage and redeem the life of a peculiar young boy. By the time Henrietta leaves the house that evening, she is in possession of the kind of grave knowledge that is usually reserved only for adults. Elizabeth Bowen reveals to the reader the apprehensions of the children and the reasons for their presence in the house. It is one of her most artful and psychologically acute novels, a real masterpiece of nuance and construction. At times it almost touches the subtlety of Henry James. This is fiction of the highest calibre.
ISBN 978-0099276487
Elizabeth Bowen